1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to internal combustion engines of compact configuration, and to starter systems for same, and in a specific aspect relates to a lawnmower of the so-called "rotary type" employing such a compact internal combustion engine and/or starter system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lawnmowers of the so-called rotary type are widely employed. In such machines, a rotatable blade typically is mounted for horizontal rotation at the lower part of a vertically extending drive shaft extending through a housing. On the upper surface of the housing an internal combustion engine is mounted as the power source or drive means for the mower. Such housing typically also mounts a plurality of wheels and is attached to a handle for manual translation of the lawnmower assembly, by a user pushing or pulling the handle to move the housing and rotating blade over the lawn area to be mowed.
A common deficiency of such rotary type lawnmowers is that the internal combustion engine mounted on the top surface, or deck, of the housing typically has a height which in many instances prevents the mower from being adequately utilized to mow under low obstructions, such as fences, swings, bushes, low-lying tree branches, etc.
As a result of such "high-profile" engine lawnmower configurations, the user of the mower is reduced to trimming grass or lawn areas in the vicinity of such "hard to reach" locations by the use of other trimmer or shear devices, such as a string trimmer or hand shears. Such necessity increases the time required to mow the complete area including such hard to reach regions, entails the additional cost of utilizing other trimming devices, and involves the inconvenience of switching from the mower to such other trimming device in order to complete the mowing job.
Accordingly, it would be a substantial advance in the art to provide a "low profile" internal combustion engine amenable to mounting on the deck of a lawnmower housing, to provide an overall mower assembly of substantially reduced height as compared to conventional lawnmower apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an internal combustion engine of compact configuration which is characterized by a low profile (low height), rendering it amenable to deployment in a corresponding low profile lawnmower apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a starter system for an internal combustion engine which is usefully employed with engines of the aforementioned low profile type.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing disclosure.